Texans' Jadeveon Clowney is on the trade block, and CBS floats a Cowboys reunion

Houston Texans edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney has become one of the names to watch before the NFL trade deadline. ESPN's team-by-team deadline preview lists him as a Texan who could be on the move, saying he "has generated trade interest" and, having played for seven NFL teams, is comfortable as a rental for a contender. No trade has been reported.

CBS Sports then published four mock deals. They are the writer's hypotheticals, not reports of talks: the Cowboys, 49ers, Chiefs and Giants are each paired with Clowney plus a 2027 seventh-round pick going to Houston's side of the ledger in return for a 2027 or 2028 sixth-rounder.

Why the price is so low

CBS puts the return at a late-round pick "at most," and perhaps only a swap of picks. Its reasons are Clowney's age (33) and thin production: 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits, on 37% of Houston's defensive snaps. CBS also notes that his 13.0% pass-rush rate ranks 58th of 262 rushers (Tru Media), a better mark than his counting stats, on just 69 pass-rush snaps.

The four mock landing spots

Houston's own position

ESPN's preview describes the Texans' goal as keeping assets: "Houston isn't in position to trade players away." It adds that Houston already sent a 2027 second-round pick for Marvin Harrison Jr. ESPN's standings list the Texans at 2-5 and the Cowboys at 3-5. ESPN's piece gives Houston a 25.7% chance of making the playoffs. (CBS's mock-trade article describes Houston as 2-3, which does not match ESPN's current standings, so we use ESPN's figure.)

The tension is simple. A veteran rental on a team still hoping to climb back is worth little to sell, while a team that falls out of it has little reason to keep him. CBS says the deadline is Nov. 10.

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Sources: CBS Sports; ESPN. Mock trades are opinion, not reporting. This story will be updated if a deal is reported.